JULIA BOSERUP ROLLS INTO HAWAII OPEN QUARTERFINALS

Only one American and two seeded singles players remain in unpredictable WTA 125K Series event at Patsy T. Mink CORP tennis courts

Waipahu, HI, Nov. 22, 2017 – Julia Boserup’s tennis breakthrough came last year when she charged into the third round of Wimbledon. Now she is breaking through again at the Hawaii Open, a WTA 125K series event presented by Hawaii Tourism Authority.

Boserup, a 26-year old from Santa Monica, Calif., reached her fourth WTA quarterfinal with an impressive 6-2, 6-3 victory Wednesday over seventh-seeded Misaki Doi. Boserup is the only American remaining in a field that began with 12.

Four fell in three grueling sets in the second round Wednesday at the gusty Patsy T. Mink CORP tennis courts. A fifth American, sixth-seeded Sachia Vickery, had to retire with a knee injury.

Both morning matches went the distance, with Croatia’s Ajla Tomljanovic rallying to beat American Danielle Lao and Japan’s Miharu Imanishi making a miraculous comeback to take out American Allie Kiick. That match, filled with massive rallies, went 2 hours and 25 minutes.

Korea’s Su Jeong Jang then overcame Amanda Anisimova, this year’s U.S. Open Junior Girls Champ, in a three-setter that lasted nearly as long. As it got dark, Vitalia Diatchenko held off American Jacqueline Cako, 6-2, 4-6, 6-1.

That leaves Boserup, who upset seventh-seeded Belinda Bencic last year to reach the third round at Wimbledon. She ousted Grand Slam champion Sara Errani in three sets Monday. Her match lasted half as long against Doi, who has won one WTA title and trains with Boserup in the offseason.

“I’m really happy to get through today, Misaki is a really good player,” Boserup said. “I’ve had a rough patch since summer with injuries and sicknesses so I’ve taken a few losses the last few weeks getting my rhythm back.”

Zhang, China’s top-ranked player at No. 36, fell to CiCi Bellis in the final of last year’s inaugural Hawaii Open. Hozumi won the doubles title with Miyu Kato.

Imanishi was down a set and 2-5 against Kiick before turning into a tennis “wall” and winning five straight games. She also won the last three games of the match. Kiick, 22, received a wild card here and ousted the eighth seed in the opening round. She is coming back from cancer treatments and four knee surgeries. Her father is former Miami Dolphin Jim Kiick.

Tomljanovic is also in Hawaii with a familiar face. She and boyfriend Nick Kyrgios, No. 21 in the ATP rankings, came early to enjoy a vacation at Four Seasons Resort at Ko Olina, a presenting sponsor. Two weeks ago she lost the final of an $80,000 ITF Pro Circuit stop to American Taylor Townsend. That showing brought her ranking back up to No. 136 after a shoulder injury last year. Tomljanovic has been ranked as high as 47th.

Lao, a former USC All-American, won the opening set before Tomljanovic found her way.

“She hits the ball so well and doesn’t give you much rhythm,” Tomljanovic said of Lao. “You’ve got to take your chances. It was not looking good for a second, but once I felt comfortable and found something that worked I felt more confident and was going for my shots.”

Doubles takes over on Thanksgiving Day. Quarterfinals start at 10 a.m. with special admission prices. There is no night session Thursday.

Singles quarterfinals begin Friday at 10 a.m., with semifinals Saturday and the final Sunday, both starting at 2 p.m. The doubles championship will be played Saturday night.

Tennis Channel and Fox Sports Asia will have more than 100 hours of live TV coverage from the Hawaii Open this week.

For more information about the 2017 Hawaii Open, updated scores and schedules, and to purchase tickets, visit www.hawaiitennisopen.com. Follow the Hawaii Open on Facebook @HawaiiTennisOpen.

The media is encouraged to attend. Photos can be obtained by request and media credentials are available by calling 808-304-9047.